Forming Your Personal Boss Brand with Beyonce

Our blog take over continues in order to bring you fresh perspectives and viewpoints from other lady bosses dominating in their lane. Kian Hervey, Editor of Forty Magazine, @40Magazine knows all about the importance branding as she runs a successful digital magazine AND a career with Southwest Airlines.

One thing I love about music is that it can speak to you on so many different levels. While rapping about his rise to fame, J Cole unintentionally gave me the best financial and career advice I’ve ever received. Beyonce’s pop single “Formation” had a similar effect on me when thinking about my personal brand. If you don’t know where to start when it comes to defining who you are as a BOSS, try to be Beyonce. Knowing my personal BOSS brand has helped me move up the corporate ladder and find success at one of the most LUVed companies in the world.

My daddy Alabama, momma Louisiana / … that Creole, make a Texas bama The lesson from Beyonce’s refrain lyric is simple: keep it local. When I was in college, my tagline across all social platforms led with “Texas Native.” As the Dallas community became more saturated with transplants, I knew my local roots would give me a leg up when working with local businesses. I ended up working for the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Market Center, and Dallas District Attorney’s Office because I kept close to my roots.

I like my baby hair with baby hair and afros Just like Beyonce, you will always have other people telling you what you should / shouldn’t do with your hair, makeup, clothes and more. Instead following the latest trends, I often go for what ILIKE when it comes to my external appearance. Sometimes I like my hair straight; other times I like big curls. Sometimes I feel like wearing a bold lipstick; other days I go for a natural makeup routine. Instead of listening to what others want for you, you have to listen to your own voice and stick to it. It’s a huge part of your personal brand.

When he f*** me good, I take his a** to Red Lobster Having a go-to space for highlight moments is crucial to staying in tune with your BOSS self. If I’m celebrating a promotion or life event with my family, I’m at Mi Cocina. If I’m meeting with potential collaborators for Forty Magazine, I’m at Coffee House Café. Reserving certain places for special moments will push you to do something worth a trip to your special place. There’s nothing wrong with dangling a cheddar bay biscuit in front of you to get you to the next level.

OMG.com! We are so delighted to share our first blogger take over post of the year. Catherine Davis, Career Strategist (@careerstrategypro) is a dear friend, boss in her own right, and too legit to quit in the career space. Here’s Catherine’s guest blog post on being a boss.

It’s 5ish in the evening and I dash into the house, kick off my shoes, grab the mail off of the kitchen table and sit. My ‘rest’ is short because now it’s time to fire up the laptop and conference line for the pre-scheduled 6:30PM career strategy call followed by a to-do list of guest blog posts, speaking engagement proposals, workshop outlines, and more things that invade my brain but never make it to paper.

I’m exhausted. This is a lot of work and sometimes it truly feels like work. There is no doubt the consistent clientele for my career strategy business, Career One Eighty, makes it all worth it, but no one sees this part. The part where I am tired and would rather curl up on the couch and eat ice cream. They might not even believe it because ‘I make it look easy’.

I’m sure you can relate. The challenge is hardly the scheduling, the planning, acquiring vision, etc. No, the real challenge that keeps authentic women up at night is the ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’ fear of not reaching our full potential. Not operating in the gift(s) we’ve been given…you know, the one’s that are powerful enough to change the world.

Being your own woman in a world where running a million miles per hour gets celebrated and attempting to stay inspired when you’re always the encourager can feel like hard work. Truthfully, remaining authentic to self and purpose in the face of it all becomes arduous. We have to work strategically (intentionally) to own our truths forging ahead to make sure the greatest work is not left undone, the self-work.

Playfully, I’ve been called the Olivia Pope of careers and perhaps Olivia has taught me one of the greatest lessons of this career-entrepreneur life. There is no such thing as hiding a pretty mess, not even in a white coat. In my life and business being a BOSS has become significantly less about showing and all about being. I give myself permission to wander between the tension of faith and comfort, also known as growth. I don’t hide my exhaustion, yet, I don’t celebrate the imbalance. I make a choice to feel the friction. Refresh my heart and mind by indulging in the activities that energize me, with the people who love me. I don’t shy away from any emotion in my spectrum…I get to be confused, tired, ‘over it’, and ‘all about it’…as long as I don’t shrink from the purpose I’ve been given to fulfill. As long as I don’t quit.

I am imperfect yet, I keep showing up. I keep betting on myself. I keep freeing others to do the same in the process. It’s not ‘making it look easy’ that makes me a BOSS. It’s allowing myself to ‘be’ even when it’s not easy that makes me a BOSS.